And Baby Makes Three
by Paige Terner
Summary: Castle and Beckett deal with a fussy baby. Set around early season five, but no spoilers here. One-shot.


**Title: And Baby Makes Three  
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**Summary: Castle and Beckett deal with a fussy baby.  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own most of the characters I write about. If you recognize a name, odds are it isn't mine. But seeing as this is a fanfic website, you probably knew that already.**

**Thanks again to Sunshiny-Kate, the best beta a writer could ask for!**

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><p>Castle could hear the wailing as soon as he stepped off the elevator. An extremely unhappy baby was making good use of a powerful set of lungs. He reached the apartment and rang the buzzer. The crying moved closer and the door flung open.<p>

Katherine Beckett could handle murderers, lying lowlifes, and drugged out scum. She'd survived a freezer, two bombs, and a gunshot. Give her a cup of coffee and a lead in a case, and you couldn't keep up with her. But the woman standing in front of Castle was not that stone-walled, all-business, detective that he shadowed. He saw something in her tired eyes that he rarely saw. Desperation.

"Castle! Thank you so much for coming over." Kate said with a sigh of relief.

"Of course." He replied as he crossed the threshold and shut the door behind him. "So what's up with Tiny Ryan?" He pointed to the red-faced infant in her arms.

"I don't know. I can't get him to stop crying. I've tried every trick in the book."

"You know baby tricks?" He asked as he took off his coat and laid it on the back of a chair.

"Yes, Castle. I used to babysit for all my parents friends." She explained exasperatedly. "He was fine when Jenny and Ry dropped him off, and he happily drank his bottle a couple of hours ago. Ever since then, nothing I do calms him down. He won't sleep, a diaper change doesn't help, and he won't even look at his toys. I've sat with him, rocked him, walked with him, but it's just not working."

"Did you call Ryan and Jenny? Ask them for any tips?"

"I didn't want to bother them. They've barely had time to themselves, with work and Connor."

"So you called me?"

"Well, you are a father, Castle."

"Good point." He nodded. "Okay, what do you want me to do?"

"Did Alexis ever do this? Cry and cry and nothing would make her stop?"

"Sure." He said with a shrug. "All babies do. Here, let me take him."

Castle took the towel that was on her shoulder and put it on his own. As if on cue, Connor stopped his sobbing long enough to spit up all over her shirt where the towel had been.

"Sorry." Castle said with a grimace.

"It's not your fault." She gently passed the upset Irish baby to Castle. "I'm going to go change my shirt. I'll be right back."

She left the child with the man-child and walked to her bedroom. She put on a fresh shirt and went into her bathroom. A few splashes of cool water and a couple of deep breaths later she felt ready to go back to the mayhem. As she entered the living room, she couldn't believe her eyes. Or her ears.

There were no screams, hiccups, or sniffles. Across the room, with his back to her, Castle was swaying, looking down at his crossed arms. She moved towards him without a word, afraid to disturb the peace he'd somehow created. As she got closer, she could hear Castle talking, his words punctuated with soft squeals and happy cooing. She stayed out of his sight, a smile spreading across her face as she listened to him.

"Yeah, there's a good boy. Why were you giving Beckett such a hard time, huh Connor? You know what your name means? Strong willed. Seems about right. So little bitty but you're bossing us big humans around."

He stopped talking and just stared at Connor's drooping blue eyes. He turned and saw Kate watching them.

"Hey." She said quietly.

"Hey." Castle responded as he headed to the couch.

He sat down carefully and leaned back into the cushions. Then he shifted Conner so he was laying with his head on his chest. Kate sat next to him and watched the baby rise and fall with each breath Castle took.

"He stopped crying." Kate said matter-of-factly.

"You should be a detective with those powers of deduction." He grinned at her eye-roll response.

"What did you do?" She asked.

"Just danced and talked."

"Danced and talked?"

"Yeah. I took him for a spin and told him a story."

"A story? He's not even four months old yet."

"It's all in the tone of voice. The words don't matter." He told her.

"So, how did you tell him a whole story? I wasn't even gone for five minutes.""

"It was a short story. Just his size."

They both laughed and the now sleeping Conner shifted at the disturbance, causing them both to stop.

"What was the story about?" She whispered.

"A NYPD detective."

"Isn't he a little young for Nikki Heat?"

"Not Heat. It was about her inspiration. I told him how you always get the bad guys, and how I can't figure out how you run in those heels, but I love watching you do so." He looked down at the baby. "I told him how you never back down, and how you always stand up for those who are wronged. And, I told him how hot you were."

Kate didn't respond. She hadn't heard the last of what he'd said anyway. She was completely transfixed on the scene in front of her. And suddenly, like being hit by a train, she was overwhelmed with a powerful yearning. She wanted this to be the norm for them. Spending a quiet evening together, their own baby on his chest, her watching them adoringly.

Castle looked up when he realized Kate had been silent for a while. His blazing blue eyes met her glowing green ones, and she recognized a similar desire to her own. They both smiled and she scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. He put his cheek on her pillow-like hair and matching sighs escaped their lips. Neither spoke, they just enjoyed the silence of the accidentally perfect moment.

An hour later the door buzzer woke up Beckett. She bolted upright, forgetting where she was. A quick look to her right was all the reminder she needed. Luckily, Castle's head had flopped back to the couch cushion, which is why she hadn't collided with him. She unfolded her legs from under her and walked stiffly to the door, opening it to the smiling Ryans.

"Hey, Kate. How was he?" Jenny asked.

"Great. A bit fussy for a while, but he's asleep now." She waved them in and pointed to the couch where the big and little boys were still out cold.

"What's Castle doing here?" Kevin asked.

"Oh, well, perhaps a bit fussy is an understatement. I couldn't cheer him up, so I called Castle and he came over for some male bonding." Kate explained.

"That's our Connor." Jenny said. "He's totally happy or totally unhappy. There's not really an in-between. I'm sorry, Kate. I should have prepared you better for that."

"No worries. It all worked out. Did you guys have a good time?"

"We did." Kevin said as he took his wife's hand in his. "Thanks again for watching him."

"No problem. I was happy to do it."

"We owe you one, now." Jenny added.

Kate looked briefly at Castle.

"I'll keep that in mind." She said with a smile. "Okay, I'll get him. Kev, his bag is on the kitchen counter."

"On it." He said as he let go of Jenny's hand and went to retrieve his son's things.

Kate returned to the couch and gently placed a hand on Castle's shoulder.

"Castle." He didn't budge. "Rick. Wake up." He began to stir and blinked his eyes open. "The Ryans are here for Connor."

"Oh, okay." He said sleepily as his mind caught up to what was going on.

He moved his arms from where they were protectively wrapped around the infant, and Kate picked Connor up carefully, so she wouldn't wake him. She walked him back to Jenny, who took him and buckled him into his carrier that they'd left by the door. Kevin returned with the bag and gave it to Jenny before picking up the baby-filled seat.

Kate opened the door and smiled as they left.

"Thanks again." They both whispered.

"Anytime." She replied.

After the elevator doors had closed she turned back into her apartment. She ran into Castle, who had walked up behind her.

"Sorry." He said.

"That's okay."

"Well, that was fun."

"Yeah. He gave you such a hard time." She said sarcastically.

"What can I say? Chicks and babies dig me."

She shook her head and bit her lip.

"You keep telling yourself that, Castle."

"I will. Don't worry." He stepped over to where he left his coat and put it on. "Now that your ward is gone, I too shall take my leave."

She looked down. She didn't want him to go, but she knew he couldn't stay. Not yet. Her mother's case was solved and behind her now, but it had cost them dearly. After their secrets had come out, they'd both lost their trust in each other. Another long, miserable summer apart had given both a lot of time to think. They hadn't actually said it out loud more than once, but they both knew that they were loved by the other. That mutual love was the foundation for the rebuilding of their relationship. They had a ways to go, but they were on the right track.

"Until tomorrow then?" She asked him.

"Until tomorrow." He answered with a smile.

He took her hand and kissed it lightly before leaving the apartment and walking to the elevator. They didn't speak, at least not with words. But their eyes were sending the message loud and clear. They were going to be okay.

After the elevator had swept him away, Kate went back in her apartment and got ready for bed. She fell asleep with a smile on her face and had the best night of sleep she'd had in months.

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><p><strong>AN - This was inspired by a fan-girly conversation after 'Till Death Do Us Part' last night. Of course, I don't want them to really spend another summer apart, but it was the best way to tell the story I wanted to tell. **


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